P3 No-Bake Cheesecake

My dad requested cheesecake for dessert on Thanksgiving this year. I was happy to oblige, but our chickens have not been laying many eggs and I didn't have enough for my usual cheesecake recipe. I ended up tweaking Briana's No-Bake Cheesecake from her cookbook Necessary Food (If you are into low-carb cooking, THM, Keto, etc. then I highly recommend this cookbook) and it was a hit! Definitely not the same texture as regular baked cheesecake, but it tasted great.

No-Bake Cheesecake - Low Carb, Sugar Free

Crust:
3 T Butter
1 T Gentle Sweet, or your sweetener of choice (Swerve, Pyure, Erythritol, etc.)
1 cup Almond Flour
2 T Oat Fiber

Mix crust ingredients thoroughly and press into the bottom of a pie plate. If your butter is cold, you'll need to warm or melt it. Mine was room temp and it blended right up.

Cheesecake:
2 8oz pkgs Cream Cheese
2/3 cup Sour Cream
2 T Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
4 T Gentle Sweet or sweetener of choice, to taste
4 tsp Great Lakes Gelatin (the red can)
3 T Hot Water
2/3 cup Heavy Cream

Beat cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and sweetener until thoroughly combined. It would be easier if the cream cheese was not cold, but I never mange to think ahead enough to set it out so I just rely on my Kitchen Aid mixer to beat the cream cheese. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl well with a spatula so it's all combined.

Dissolve the gelatin in hot water, then add to cheesecake mixture and beat well. Add heavy cream and mix for a few more minutes. Give it a taste to see if it's sweet enough - if not, add another tablespoon of sweetener, mix, and taste again.

Pour cheesecake mixture over crust and refrigerate at least an hour, or longer if you can. I was able to cut and serve this after just about an hour but it gets firmer if it can chill longer. Serve with toppings of choice - we had 1 fruit and 2 chocolate ganache here. :)

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P3 Marble Cheesecake

My dad made this cheesecake and it is fantastic! He said it's important to taste the batter before you pour it, to make sure it's sweet enough. This recipe shows exactly what he did so hopefully it will turn out as good for you as it did for him.

Sugar-Free Marble Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350.

For crust:

1 cup Pecans, chopped
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1/8 cup Erythritol
2 Tbsp Butter, melted

Process all ingredients in a food processor and mix until well blended. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. It will be very thin.

Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool.


For filling:

2   8oz pkgs Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Erythritol
1 tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Lemon Juice
16 oz  Sour Cream
3 Eggs, at room temperature

Beat all ingredients, except the eggs, with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until blended.

Reserve one cup of batter for marbling. Pour the rest into the springform pan.

Add 1 tsp Cocoa Powder and about 1/4 cup Erythritol (to taste) to the reserved batter. Spoon chocolate batter onto plain batter and drag a knife through to make a marbled pattern.

Place a pan with a couple of cups of water in it on the lower rack, underneath the rack where you will place your cheesecake. Bake cheesecake at 350 for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for one more hour before removing it.

Let it cool, and then refrigerate at least two hours until completely chilled.


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P3 5-minute Strawberry Ice Cream

I make this when my kids are having ice cream and I want my own treat. Often I just make this for them too since they love it and it's healthier than regular sugary ice cream. So easy, I always have the ingredients on hand, and it takes no time at all in my Vitamix!

Quick Strawberry Ice Cream

1 10oz pkg frozen Strawberries
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
Liquid Stevia to taste

Blend frozen strawberries with yogurt. Add stevia to taste - start with about 10 drops and taste, adding 1 drop at a time, mixing and tasting until it's just right.

I think you could sneak this one in on P2 if you used your milk allowance for the day and 1 serving of strawberries! 

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HCG-Friendly Valentine's Day

February 14th is just around the corner! Don't fall off the weight-loss wagon and make some yummy HCG-Friendly Valentine's Treats.

Phase 2: Definitely limited, but there are still treats to enjoy.

 P2 Chocolate Mousse

P2 Cinnamon Baked Apple

P2 Chocolate Strawberries
(can be considered rogue with cocoa powder)

If you're in Phase 3: So many options open up!

For sweet treats, check out:

P3 Chocolate Waffles for Breakfast!

P3 Marble Cheesecake

 P3 Chocolate Cheesecake

P3 Cheesecake

P3 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 

 

P3 Dark Peanut Butter Fudge

P3 Chocolate Coconut Cookies

P3 5-minute Strawberry Ice Cream

P3 Chocolate Brownie Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

(or cupcakes)

And for some fun Beverages:

 P3 Virgin Pina Colada

 P3 Hot Chocolate

Pizza for dinner? Make it into a heart shape!

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P3 Chocolate Cheesecake

Warning: this is RICH! I baked it in a casserole dish without a crust but it would work fine with a crust as well. I recommend almond meal, butter and stevia or erythritol for a crust.

This is a small cake. For a full cheesecake, I would recommend you quadruple this recipe (so use 2 pkgs of cream cheese, 4 eggs, etc).

Chocolate Cheesecake

3 Tbsp Butter
6 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened (1/2 package)
4 Tbsp Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet, powdered (I whiz mine up in the blender)
20-25 drops Liquid Stevia
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg

Preheat oven to 350* and spray a small oven-proof dish with cooking spray. (Mine is about 4" square.)

Melt butter and remove from heat. Stir in cocoa and cream cheese. Add erythritol one tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly as you add each one. Add liquid stevia and vanilla, mix well. Stir in egg and pour mixture into prepared dish. Bake about 20 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for about 30 more minutes. The center should be set but wiggle some if you jiggle the dish. Remove from oven and let cool, then refrigerate at least a couple of hours to set. Slice and serve.

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P3 Virgin Pina Colada

Pineapple is a *maybe* on HCG Phase 3 but I know several HCG-ers who did fine eating it on P3.  This is such a treat and the kids can have it too!

Pina Colada

1 cup Fresh Pineapple or 8 oz can crushed Pineapple, with the juice

1/2 cup Coconut Milk

2 cups Ice Cubes

10-12 drops Liquid Stevia

Combine all ingredients in a blender (I used my vitamix, of course). Blend well and serve! 

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P3 Hot Chocolate

My kids love this and I don't mind them drinking it since it isn't full of sugar like the commercial mixes.  It's great with a dollop of homemade sugar-free whipped cream too.

Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate

1 1/2 Tbsp Water
1 1/2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
pinch Salt
1 cup milk
1/2 to 1 tsp Vanilla
Liquid Stevia to taste

Mix water, cocoa and salt in small sauce pan and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in milk and stir while it heats, but don't boil it.  Pour into a mug, add vanilla and stevia to taste.

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P2 Chocolate Mousse

Oh my goodness.  I was skeptical about this as I mixed it up but I am amazed at how good it tastes!  This dessert counts as a protein, so for me, it works best on a day I'm busy and don't have time to cook up two proteins for meals.  Or if you're just craving chocolate, it'd be worth planning to have this dessert as a protein.  Yum!  If you like cheesecake, I think you'll like this.  It would also make a fabulous fruit dip - for apples or strawberries! 

Chocolate Mousse

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese (I used low-fat, technically rogue on HCG P2)
1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
Splash of Vanilla
Liquid Stevia to taste

Puree all ingredients together and adjust stevia to the sweetness you like.  Start with just a few drops and add one a time until you like it.  Enjoy!

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P2 Cinnamon Baked Apple

I enjoy a little "dessert" on Phase 2 and this hits the spot.

Cinnamon Baked Apple

Mix the following in a small baking dish:

1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Liquid Stevia to taste (5-10 drops)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

Core an apple - I use this handy tool.  Slice apple and coat in cinnamon mixture. Bake, covered, at 350* for 10-15 minutes or until desired doneness.

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P3 Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

This was an interesting experiment. The fudge needs to stay frozen to keep the right consistency, since it gets too soft as it warms up to room temp. Still, very tasty, quick to make, and hits that chocolate craving!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

2/3 cup Cocoa
4 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter, melted
1 cup Peanut Butter (no sugar added - I use Smuckers Natural)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet, powdered (whiz it up in the blender)
15-20 drops Liquid Stevia, to taste

Mix cocoa and oil or butter until smooth, then add each ingredient in the order listed, mixing after each addition. When adding the powdered erythritol, add half and mix, then add the other half and mix. Pour into greased container and freeze until firm. Cut into squares and store in freezer.


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P3 Cheesecake

I don't think anyone would know this cheesecake is completely sugar-free. It is absolutely delicious!

Crust
1 cup Pecans or Almonds, ground
2 Tbsp Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet
3 Tbsp Butter, melted

Combine and press onto bottom of 9-inch Springform pan. Bake at 325* for 10 minutes. Then increase oven temperature to 450*.

Filling
4 8-ounce packages Cream Cheese (regular or reduced fat)
1 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet
4 Eggs
1 cup Plain Yogurt (Sour Cream would work as well)
1 Tbsp Vanilla

Combine cream cheese and Z-sweet, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in yogurt and vanilla. Pour over crust.

Bake at 450* for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue baking for one hour. Loosen cake from edge of pan and let cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator. May top with sugar free chocolate syrup or fruit.


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P3 Flax Brownies

I needed a chocolate fix, which interestingly, is pretty easy to get since I've been on HCG. It doesn't take much for me to feel satisfied now. Before I would have eaten at least half the pan of brownies, and here I was satisfied with one. Love it!

This is a small recipe - I baked it in my Pampered Chef Small Bar Pan. You can double or triple it for a larger pan, if needed.

2 Tbsp Butter, room temp
1/2 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet, powdered (either buy it powdered or whiz it in a coffee grinder or perhaps blender)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1/4 cup Cocoa powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Flax Meal (again, if you have flax seeds, you can whiz them up)
1 tsp Baking Powder
3 Tbsp Cream or Half and Half
1 Tbsp Water
20ish drops Liquid Stevia
1/4-1/2 cup Walnuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350* and grease your baking pan. Using a fork, cream the butter. Mix in powdered erythritol, then vanilla, then the egg. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.



I frosted mine with some chocolate cream cheese frosting and put strawberries on top. My 6 year old loved this dessert, too.





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P3 Chocolate Coconut Cookies

6 year old: "These cookies are amazing!"
Me: "Wow, glad you liked them."
6 year old: "Liked them? I LOVED THEM!"

What else can I say? They're chocolatey, they're coconutty, and they're delicious.

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

2.5 Tbsp Coconut Oil (melt it if it's not already liquid, or sub melted butter if needed)
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1/8 cup Heavy Cream
3/4 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Unsweetened Coconut
~20 Almonds (1 per cookie)

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease cookie sheet or use parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking.

Mix coconut oil with cocoa powder until well blended. Mix in cream, salt, vanilla and erythritol. Whisk in eggs until well blended. Mix in coconut flour and dried coconut. Combine well.

Drop by teaspoonfulls onto greased cookie sheet or parchment. Gently press an almond onto each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set. Cool.

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P3 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (no bake)

Oh.My.Goodness. If this recipe had sugar in it, I'd tell you that I was in a sugar coma. I guess I could be in a chocolate coma because there is certainly plenty of chocolate in it. My husband, a big peanut butter cup fan, could only eat half of one. I, on the other hand, finished his and had one of my own. My chocoholic son ate 3 bites before declaring himself done. These things are rich. You could easily halve (or quarter) this recipe, but of course I made the whole batch and now have enough peanut butter cups to last a looong time. This is a good thing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

1 cup Cocoa Powder
5 Tbsp Oil or Butter, melted
3/4 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet, powdered (whiz it up in a coffee grinder or blender if you have granulated)
40 drops Liquid Stevia
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Heavy Cream

Mix ingredients well - it will be very, very thick. Test for sweetness to make sure you like it. Spoon about a teaspoon into each cup of a mini muffin pan, pressing the center so the chocolate goes up the sides of the cups. Set aside.

1/2 cup Peanut Butter (no sugar added)
1 cup Almond Meal
30 drops Liquid Stevia
Dash of Salt

Mix these four ingredients well and test for sweetness. Scoop mixture into your hand and roll into a small ball, then press into the center of each chocolate cup.

Refrigerate the pan for about 30 minutes. To remove candy from pan, run hot water over the bottom of the pan or just use your hand to heat one cup at a time, and run a thin plastic knife around the inside of the cups to loosen the candy. Enjoy!

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P2 Chocolate Strawberries (rogue)

I feel like I do pretty well on Phase 2. I don't crave my old sweets and snacks too much, but SOMETIMES I just really need some chocolate. I made up this dessert one of those times.

It's rogue because it has cocoa. Lots of people eat cocoa on Phase 2 with no trouble but use caution the first time you try it.

Chocolate Strawberries

1/2 cup Sliced Strawberries
1 tsp cocoa powder
10 drops Liquid Stevia

Mix well, crushing the strawberries a little bit so you can use the juice to mix the cocoa in and coat the strawberries.

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P3 Peanut Butter Cookies

If you're a Cookie Lover, and really missing cookies while on protocol, I recommend giving this recipe a try. I used almond flour, but think coconut flour would also be worth a try. The z-sweet gives good sweetness, but also causes a "cooling effect" when you eat it, which is kind of strange. Still, these cookies will definitely hit the spot for a Cookie Lover. (Use caution with peanut butter if you're on your first Phase 3 to make sure it doesn't cause a gain for you. Almond butter might be a better choice.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Peanut Butter (no sugar) or almond butter
1/2 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet
1 tsp Vanilla

Combine the above, then mix in 1 egg.

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 cup Almond Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder

Mix wet and dry ingredients.

Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart. Press down with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 350* for about 12-15 minutes until the tops start to turn brown. Remove pan from oven and allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the pan, then remove to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

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P3 Chocolate Brownie Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Strawberries

This is the full cake we ended up with for my son's 6th birthday. I tested the recipe as cupcakes first, which were a hit. The final cake turned out fabulous. My son's comment as he finished his piece was, "Thanks for making this awesome cake for me, mom! And thanks for making it healthy so even *you* could have some." Mission accomplished.

Chocolate Brownie Cake

2 cups raw Almonds or Pecans, ground (or you can use Almond Meal)
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet

Mix the above well, then add:

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, melted
4 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Water as needed

Preheat oven to 350*. Divide batter between 2 greased (not floured!) 9-inch cake pans. Bake about 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Invert onto cooling racks and cool completely.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (this will frost one layer so double the recipe if you want frosting inside as well as on top)

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
40ish drops Liquid Stevia as desired
1/4 cup Milk or Cream as needed to get the right texture

Berries for garnish, if desired. I sliced strawberries for in between the layers which was delicious, but the cake didn't stay together well since it wasn't sticky. More layers of frosting is never a bad idea, in my opinion, so if you want it to stay together, I recommend frosting one or both interior layers as well as the top.



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P3 Chocolate Brownie Bites with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

My son's 6th birthday was coming up and we were discussing what kind of cake he wanted. He knows I have been only eating certain things and no sugar, so he asked me if I'd be having any of his birthday cake. I planned to be on Phase 3 at the time, so the goal was to make a cake that I could eat (no starch or sugar) and that was also tasty enough for my kid. The result is this AMAZING chocolate cake (or brownie) with chocolate cream cheese frosting. YUM! I tested it as cupcakes first and will post the recipe here:

Chocolate Brownie Bites (makes 6 small or 4 regular size cupcakes)

1/2 cup Raw Almonds or Pecans, ground (or you can use Almond Meal)
3 T Cocoa Powder
pinch Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Erythritol, like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero or Z-Sweet

Mix the above well, then add:

2 T Butter, melted
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 tsp Vanilla
2 T Water as needed

Preheat oven to 350*. Spoon into cupcake liners. It's enough for 6 small, or about 4 regular cupcakes. Bake about 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 T Cream Cheese, softened
1 T Cocoa Powder
12-15 drops Liquid Stevia
Milk or Cream as needed to get the right texture

and a strawberry was the perfect topping :)

P.S. The full cake recipe is posted here

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P3 Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

Small Recipe (for a few cupcakes)

2 T Cream Cheese, softened
1 T Cocoa Powder
12-15 drops Liquid Stevia
Milk or Cream as needed to get the right texture

Large Recipe (frosts one regular cake layer)

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
40ish drops Liquid Stevia as desired
1/4 cup Milk or Cream as needed to get the right texture

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